Photos courtesy Girl Scouts of Connecticut.
Girl Scouts of Connecticut (GSOFCT) recognized exceptional Girl Scouts who earned the organization”™s highest award at the Girl Scout Gold Award Ceremony on June 5. The annual celebration at the Courtyard by Marriott in Waterbury honored the dreamers and the doers who take the organization”™s mission “make the world a better place” to the next level. The day-long event included a public Gold Award Expo that showcased the 2022 Gold Award Girl Scout projects, along with the official award and scholarship presentation.
Gold Award achievers from the Fairfield area included Alexis Nuenteufel, Easton; Natasha Dinshaw, Wilton; Madeline Beck, Stamford; Rebecca DePietro, Stratford; Anna Gedacht, Fairfield; Haven Sushon, Old Greenwich; and Caitlin May of Fairfield.
To earn the Gold Award, a high school Girl Scout identifies an issue affecting the community, investigates solutions, formulates a plan of action, then builds a team to ensure sustainable impact that lasts beyond their involvement.
“A Gold Award Girl Scout”™s accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart as a community leader,” explained Diana Mahoney, CEO of Girl Scouts of Connecticut. “The Gold Award is a major milestone in a girl”™s life and a culmination of all she has learned through her Girl Scout experience.”
Mahoney noted that the accomplishment positively impacts the Girl Scout”™s future education and career plans, as a growing number of colleges and universities recognize the national Gold Award through admission and scholarships. A Gold Award Girl Scout is also entitled to enlist in the armed forces at a higher pay grade than an individual who has not earned the award.
Additionally, GSOFCT awarded $1,000 scholarships to seven of the Gold Award recipients. To be eligible, the Girl Scout must be a current high school senior or college freshman and have earned the Gold Award. This year”™s winners were Rachael Amatruda of Guilford, Alexia Anglade of Ridgefield, Erin Dalton of Colchester, Neya Kidambi of Trumbull, Libby Riggs of Haddam, MJ Taylor of Sandy Hook and Maeve Tucker of Burlington. The Connecticut Elks Association selected Francesca Foster of Mystic for its 2022 Connecticut Elks Girl Scout Award Scholarship.
